God Damned Disrespectful Teenagers Make Me Angry

The problem with young people today is that they have no respect for their elders.

Back when I was a sprog we were expected to be polite, respectful and afraid of old people. We said “please” and “thank you” and would never have dared to call an adult by their Christian name.

But these uppity youngsters today have no respect. They give you sass, lip, guff, guff lip, lip sass, sass lip and generally behave in a way that makes it unsafe for us older folks to venture outside of our homes for fear of teenage mockery, robbery, stupidity or worse.

But what really chaps my shorts is that first name business.

If I had ever called my neighbour “Millie,” instead of Mrs. Bodsworth, she would have tied me up with her apron strings and beaten me unconscious with a slotted spoon.

But with kids now it’s all “Bob” and “Carol” and “Ted” and “Alice” when talking with old folks.

And half the time you don’t even get a first name out of them. It’s “hey old dude” or “yo gramps, what’s up?” Well listen here assclown, I’m not your grampa and if I were it would be my cane that was up. Up cracking you across the disrespectful head.

This had better well stop or it won’t be long before young people will forget they are inferior and you’ll come home to find your paper boy is sitting in your armchair, reading your sports page, wearing you smoking jacket, drinking your scotch and french kissing your wife.

It’s damned well disgraceful and I want it to stop.

They have no respect for old people. That’s the problem with young people today.

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When I was kid, if I had been disrespectful to one of my neighbors they would have beaten me senseless, told my parents about it, then my parents would have beaten the sense back into me. Now, neighbors call the police on parents beating their own children, much less if a neighbor gives one of their children a well deserved rap on the head.

listen…maybe its YOU that has the problem. I feel the exact opposite of you BOB..or FRANK or whatever your name is. Maybe you all should realize its 2009. Its not 1925 anymore, times have changed and so have people. Sorry to say it to you, the internet, the cell phone and the disrespectful teen are here to stay. Old people expect sooo much respect just because theyre old. Who cares how old you are?? If your being rude to me, im going to be rude back…and OLD PEOPLE are the BEST at being rude. You think we just act however we want, well how about the old people who are grumpy and MEAN just because they think they can be? We dont complain about that!! We deal with you so you should do the same. oh and PS GET OFF THE ROAD YOU MAKE ME WANT TO RIP MY HAIR OUT WHEN IM STUCK BEHIND YOU DOING 30 IN A 50….AAAHHHH!!!!

It does not matter what year it is, you young fool! Courtesy and respect for/towards your elders has been a human trait since the beginning of civilization. Remember, you idiot, that one day, God UN-willing, you too will be old!

It’s not that we don’t KNOW it’s 2009 rather than 1925, it’s that we don’t give a rat’s ass you disrespectful little pissant. Get behind be while I’m doing 30 in a 50 or whatever the hell speed I FEEL like going & I will brake slam your little punk ass. Bitch.

Just because someone is older than me, doesn’t mean I have to treat them respectfully, I only show respect if they actually deserve it, not just for being old. If there just rude, mean, racist, or just overall a terrible person, then no, they will not be getting any of my respect. They will just have to talk to my hand, my angry hand.

i understand your point on the internet…but since when does disrespect become a trend that’s “there to stay” I’m 16 myself and i get why you would be disrespectful to someone who is at least 5+ years your senior, let alone distances such as 30 or more. fact is, their older, they know more (maybe not about our problems but they’ve lived till at least their senior years … around 60) i haven’t gotten to 20 yet, and ive learned more in the past four years since i was twelve than ever. some1 who’s sixty has 46 years more knowledge. you don’t disrespect knowledge. also common courtesy is nice especially nowadays and should be expected. too bad it’s not really common anymore…. Mr.Mills I would like to apologize for the impression my generation is making on the older one.

Paper boy, eh? Haven’t heard that in a while :P.
I’m all for Mr, Mrs, et al, but respect is another matter. I have no qualms with being polite to strangers, but I’ll happily add sarcasm to that politeness if I think the person doesn’t deserve respect.

Auntie? The nerve. I’ll never understand that kind of overly familiar approach. Last time some grocery store kid called me “gramps” I called him “unplanned bastard nephew” and reminded him to double bag my milk.

If you know where the little bastards live, send a stripper (same sex) to their home when their friends and contemporaries are there to witness the spectacle and ridicule them. Don’t get mad, get even.

I look at the way I was raised, which was similar to many of the ways you describe, then I see the ways of my children’s generation and shake my head and wonder where we’ve gone wrong as parents. They’re good kids in many ways, but in other ways, such as respect for others, especially their elders, we’re in big trouble some day. It’ll be interesting to see how that next generation turns out…

Thank you for your humorous perspective. I have taken the liberty of adding a featured article on my site linking back to yours. I further took the liberty of using your photo, and I hope this is OK too.

If not I hope you will go easy on me and not alert the Copyright Authorities about my actions….thank you for yet another great post Mr. Mills.

No hard proof yet on the rye front but the investigtion continues. I’ve got my “bait” bottle set out in the living room and Hattie is coming over tomorrow at noon. I suspect I’ll get the proof I need then.

This post and blog is absolutely ridiculous! How dare you stereotype all teenagers! How would you feel if there were blogs around that was called “The Problem with Old People Today Is…”? You think that we must respect you old farts? Yes most of us do. I’m sorry, but times have changed and that is not our fault, it’s the way society works. I hope that you realize that your blog is a disgrace, you make older people look stupid and grumpy old farts that don’t have a life and only care about complaining about the youngsters that will soon be in the forefront of our world.

Your most recent posts saying that all of us are on drugs, we all have bad hair, our writing skills are way below par, complaining about our driving, our speech, our wardrobe, and claiming that we are sex crazed are completely out of line. How about you would take the time to realize that most of us young people are not as you claim. Just remember, you were young once and felt the freedom that life offers, I guess you just gave up on life and began to complain about thangs that have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with you. GROW UP! You’re absolutely insane if you honestly think these things. PLEASE get a life, STOP complaining and STOP making claims that are COMPLETELY UNTRUE!!

I hope my comment has enlightened you to realize that your claims are stupid and horribly untrue. Live your own life and get over it!

No. Hannah. You don’t state your “case well.” You sit there behind the keyboard & proceed, at your advanced age of wisdom, to tell us “how society works.” You don’t know “how society works” yet kid, because you haven’t even BEEN in society yet. You are a perfect example of how leniency has completely de-railed the younger generation. You refer to how society works. Take a gander at the news reports from let’s say 1965, 1975, or if it suits you, 1985. Then review today’s news reports. Think meth. Think drive by shootings. Think old folks being brutally beaten for 10 bucks in the street. Make comparisons between these eras. Tell me which one was better & safer. The reason? Because young people were taught respect. They had to actually learn some responsibility. Now? Everything is handed to you little pissants on a silver platter. The reason you respect old people is because they are old. You learn from them. You shut your Goddamned smart ass little mouth & listen. It’s not you kids’ fault though. It’s actually ours for allowing a culture to develop where you kids are permitted to do anything you want & speak with as much disrepsect as you want without getting the piss slapped out of you. You have gotten this idea ingrained in your heads that WE are supposed to respect YOU. Respect is earned kid. We have earned it. You have not. Yet………

You would make your name Anonymous (unless that is the default name) after making this sort of backwards comment.

I will take the guess that you are much older than me. In that case, we have a difference, with you having far more life experience than I do. However, I would like to point out your comment about how our news today is more violent than what is used to be in the past: crime rates have actually gone DOWN in the past 20 years, despite what you’re hearing. In fact, it should be known that just about everything you see on television, newspapers, internet articles, magazines, etc. is all biased and says what it says to get ATTENTION. In other words, they WAY OVER EXAGGERATE the situations today. It’s all marketing.

Oh, and this era didn’t have a World War 2, a Cold War, a Cuban Missile Crisis, a Holocaust, and whatnot..

As for respecting old people just because they’re old…what a load of horse shit. I will say that those who served in a past war and who had to endure physical beatings from their parents (like Don seems to claim) should be looked up to and be seen as role models, but I remember when I was a little kid and me and my sister were helping my mom move things around at my grandmother’s regency. She and I were using the elevator to do this, and this old lady who saw us in there a couple of times told us “Damn kids playing around in the elevator”, even though we EXPLAINED to her what we were doing. Of course, we didn’t say anything back, but if you really think that sort of attitude deserves respect, then you’re full of it. Really.

Here we clearly have another example of how not slapping the piss out of teenagers has NOT worked in our society. “Out of line” “How dare you” Give me a God damned break!!
Perhaps you should re-visit the one that refers to teenagers’ “writing skills” as well……

One time I was in line in front of an older man at a Home Despot. The cashier, who probably wasn’t all up on the “new math,” was going very, very slowly. The man behind me kept sighing and exhaling violently and shifting from foot to foot, to make sure we all knew he was in a hurry (hurry to what? die, maybe? I mean, he was OLD). I said, “I used to sigh and make a bunch of noise when I was impatient, until I realized it didn’t make the line go any faster.”
He said, “When I was your age, I respected my elders!”
I said, “When you were my age, maybe your elders weren’t such assholes!”
Just some food for thought.

Number 1 Mr. Mills mohawks are outdated those are for early 2000s and 90s, Second nose piercings are digusting and for losers. I am 16 and I respect my elders and I dont disrespect. Today’s generation isnt that bad but some people are.

These young un’s can’t make change out of the cash register, and, if you want to know where something is in a store, they POINT and mumble. The other day, a young guy actually LED me to what I needed. I nearly died on the spot.

You start every blog post with “God Damned”, is this to imply you have no belief in God at all, or are all of us young folk “Damned of God”??? Just wanting to know. I think you are very funny, just want to know what you think of God.

I agree on the shopping. You walk into one of those monster stores and ask the young person if they have a specific product. 9 times out of 10 they just say “don’t know. But if we do it’s probably over there somewhere.” Then then point east…

Very helpful.

And as for the “god damned” it’s just a bad habit I picked up years ago. Never been able to shake it. It used to drive Aggie mad. Not meant to be anything more then my way of saying I’m well and truly mad.

I will admit to being one of those young people who says “don’t know. But if we do, it’s probably over there somewhere.” You want some background info on that? It’s because nobody provides us with a list of what is what and what is where. Of course, we can learn that by asking our managers/coworkers, but holy shit, the attitude we will get from asking a ton of questions, or the weird look we will get if we ask for a tour that isn’t on the job description. Yikes.

Todd- You’re asking the right questions– The secret is- -if you find out for yourself with your own initiative- where stuff is located- and by that means answer queries- you demonstrate that you are smart enough to think for yourself- and not rely on elders- Thus earning the respect of everyone– That’s the simple secret–

How ’bout this for a title: “God Damned Young People Think too God Damned Much of Themselves!” or maybe “God Damned Young People Need to Watch More Mel Brooks, Monty Python, and Saturday Night Live Pre-1995!”

From reading most of the posts, I am struck by the degree to which sheer physical assault and violence played a role in ‘solving’ behavioral problems of the youth in the proverbial good old days.

It paints a picture mostly of bullies and sadists who seemed to rather enjoy it. Lacking any sophisticated parenting techniques, verbally and physically abusing children must have been the only tool they had.

Maybe that is why they are so bitter now that they are becoming senescent? They have lost the physical strength to hit people like they once did.

Well said David. But to challenge your theory, have a look at news reports from say 1965 & compare to say 2011. Crime among youth was a little different yes? Could this be a result of the “sadists” & “bullies” slapping the living piss out of disrespectful teenagers perhaps? Drive by shootings, meth, beating old helpless men out for a walk with their wives for their pocket money, 16 year olds on television pregnant & proud of what they’ve done. Boyfriends of aforementioned teenagers outlining their goal of selling dope to support their pregnant teenage girlfriend whose life is now screwed. One can’t help but wonder if the “sophisticated parenting techniques” might not be working as well as how they did it in “the proverbial good old days.”

Good point about the news. In fairness though, news back then was more about gathering actual news than generating ratings with mindless violence. Crime is entertaining and easy to cover. That’s why we see so much of it on the news, not just because the level of depravity is higher. Today’s news is as much of a negative blight as today’s kids. So, your comparison is valid in more ways than one.

But “sophisticated parenting techniques”? Yeah, maybe for all of the 250 parents that use them. The vast majority of parents have no technique at all. They just let whatever happens happen. Today’s kids aren’t raised by parents, they’re raised by TV, the Internet and marketing departments, none of which have any interest in producing responsible citizens.

It’s not so much about the weakness of the modern parenting techniques, it’s about the weakness of the parents themselves. They are a stupid, incompetent, lazy and apathetic lot. They only technique they have is to let their kids do & buy whatever they want and pay the massive bills (on credit). The only time parents raise their hands towards their kids these days is to hand them money.

I’m sure beating a kid makes parents feel great and works out a lot of frustrations, (it’s the only “pro” I can think of for having kids) but it’s just not the right way. It is, however, at least an attempt at parenting which is more than most parents seem capable of. Perhaps the sincere attempt at parenting in the “good ol’ days” is what made the difference.

I sincerely agree with this. I have always tried to be very polite to my elders. I always answer my teachers with “Yes sir,” or “yes’m.” However, there are one or two adults with who I have very close friendships who I refer to by their given name in conversation. I don’t do it out of an intent to be disrespectful, but rather because they are as close to me as many of my friends my own age and I feel comfortable speaking with them on a more personal level.

I couldn’t stop laughing….you’ve hit the nail on the head in all your comments!. I still respect my “elders” and I am 65. I forget that at times and am respectful to those my age…(who were once my elders). Many of them still feel like my elders…and than a quick glance in the mirror reminds me I am now an “elder”. I’ll be checking back. I’m also sending your blog on to my Dad. He will appreciate a good laugh too.

Alot of teenagers have been dumbed down as a result of bad school systems and parents that fail to enforce discipline , respect for authority and self respect. Uniforms should be required in public schools. Note,I say self respect. If they don’t respect themselves, they will never respect anybody else. Lack of proper role models and self respect is obviously missing when they dress and act like the worst gangster garbage from the ghettos. They have improper role models thanks to entertainment and Hollywood. Judgementalism needs to make a comeback. Teenagers working in customer service is seldom a positive experience. They exhibit bad attitudes, and do not have the sense to even tell a customer thank you. Either society is going to crumble, or we’re going to paying for more needed prisons if attitudes don’t change.

Just turned 49- If I knew then what I know now- I’d’ve saved all the money I wasted partying as a young man- in order to live someplace with no 14- 24 year olds- It’d be worth it- Nobody warns you when you’re a young knownothing how bad it’s going to feel to be stuck in some shitty provincial town ruled by spoiled ignorant- arrogant 14 year olds- These words will be wasted on them and they will have to suffer an even worse generation raised to their values- Finally- hormone changes in middle aged men can make it very tough on the nerves- Thus – Irritable Man Syndrome- Something of great amusement to the young- who love to goad andropausal males- and who- unaware as yet- of their own mortality- have this too to look forward to- Nobody warned me- now they’re warned- Futile words- but they shall know should their ill manners allow them to survive unkilled so long

I certainly agree. In addition to that, my cousin doesn’t respect my mother. She blogs and posts on facebook or any social network site to rant about my mother(and in turn my family). The nerve. We treated her like family, and just for a simple, one-time reprimand of her wrong actions, she then posts some disrespectful stuffs regarding my family. Words can’t express the way I feel about it right now.

More ‘old people’ have disrespected me than ‘young people’. Most people stop bitching about stupid things like this when they are like early 20’s or so because they realise that times have changed and are changing. You’re how old and stil do it. A sad life you must live.

Guess Angela has plans to never get old- The difficulty is that many young people- but not all- haven’t lived enough to understand what respect is- Lack of experience causes- in a manner of speaking- no knowledge of what they don’t know- which allows for arrogance borne by ignorance- I know this because- unlike young people- I remember what being young was like- My memory of being young also tells me- all discussion with those who don’t know they don’t know- is futile- And- with little provision in education- at home or learning institutions- for good manners and respect- the only way the young come to understand is to become old- Which- is not a concept ya young mind can deal with- Nor even how rapidly the years are about to pass by till such time as they are– By which time- they will have raised generations of people who make the current young seem paragons of respect and good breeding
K

I have teachers at school who allow us to call them by their first names, I can’t bring myself to do it. It is always Mr or Mrs/Ms/Miss, I find it very weird and disrespectful to call someone older, wiser, and smarter by their first name especially if you don’t have a personal relationship with them.
I do also agree with the comments about giving respect first, but in todays society of young people I can see why the older generations generalize, however I don’t like sitting on the train and having an old person look at me as if I am some kind of disgraceful, untrustworthy, annoying, obnoxious teenager. I belong to the same group of kids but I’m not like that. I dress respectfully,I smile and say ‘good day’ when I walk past, i always use appropriate manners, I always stand for seniors and just because I’m on my iPhone does not necessarily mean Facebook and texting, sometimes I am actually reading the news or weather.

Great blog too, thoroughly enjoying what you have to say on such a messed up generation we have today!

Thanks– Nice attitude- Sorry to hear you get lumped in with the others– Lot of older people- take it for granted- due to many bad experiences- that groups of teenagers are going to annoy or offend- Agreed it isn’t fair- In my experience it’s boys aged around 14 who make it their business to cause offence and irritation- They’re still young enough to get off with too much due to being children- But only a step away from enountering physical violence because they haven’t learned to identify the truly weak and defenceless- Invariably they get hurt when an instable older hormonal male loses his temper at their provocation–

Also point out- -never underestimate the power of the cellphone to raise tempers- even the very sight of one- or the tiniest peep from it– raises the memory of many past irriations from annoying ignorant people- yelling into their phones- playing their horrible FM Pop music etc etc- and that memory triggers anger in many people for that reason- In effect- every teenager who behaves with ignorance and disrespect- leaves an impression in some people- that leads to cumulative anger that is triggered off by seemingly trivial events- Sure it’s not good– but it’s part of growin older- and if you’re very lucky- you won’t be one of the ones with the grumpy hormones in their bodies

Anyway– I thought you all should know- A local boy in a car recently exploded a firework in an elderly lady’s face where I live in the UK- She was taken to hospital- came close to being blinded- The youth hasn’t been caught yet- but he’s quite sure of a beating when he is- It’s a sorry business- but the level of disgust in the community at least proves there’s still respect for the old- It’s thought to have been just a prank gone wrong– But the point of respect for elders is elderly people put in a lot of years of toil and heartbreak throughout life- They become weak and frail- and deserve to be treated with dignity- The youth would think everyone including himself is made of steel- and that it would just make the old lady jump and she’d get over it— How sadly wrong that is– But the whole issue above pivots around lack of understanding= lack of respect- Respect is understanding- empathy- compassion

Maybe I can shed some light on the subject. Its the income barrier. I live in a high class neighborhood and all the kids are very nice and respectful. And most people had to work very hard for their multi-million dollar home and Mercedes. As for the lower income families, they let their kids act disrespectful because they have really nothing to loose. However, it was your generation that messed up our economy, which in turn created this income factor. So you can really blame yourselves for the state that my generation is in. However, I do my best to respect everyone. I am also a teenager. And I attend public school, so I see it first hand (I do agree, my generation does have issues). That’s just my opinion. Also its the removal of Christianity from the schools, but anyway.

1) Mr Mills was 30 or so years younger than he is. His generation did things right, more or less. It’s those that took over from them that screwed things up.

2) Somewhere along the line, richer kids didn’t decide their main goal in life was to become “gangsta thugs” too, or at least try to get away with it for as long as they could. Actually, most CEOs these days are little more than gangsta thugs in suits & ties. I guess you can get away with being a “gangsta” your whole life, even in the upper echelon.

Just saying, but most of us “rich” kids don’t try to be “gangster thugs”. They are unappealing. Now I don’t know how rich kids have treated you, but most are repectable and upright. It is the only way to success, and our parents do their best to make us realize that. Its why they are successful as well. About the Christian comment, I also don’t know how we Christians have treated you, but that wasn’t right. I used to attend a Christian school before high school and everyone acted like a Christian should. Just my 2¢ extra.

Oh, for crying out loud! First of all, you really think all young people are like that? Second of all, the time you stop being able to manhandle us or claim that we cant support ourselves (i.e. when we become young adults with jobs and a home) is the time when we expect to treat you as equals and you to respect our opinions and our contributions to society. Yes, we are younger than you, yes, we have less knowledge and experience than you, but we also have more energy, more time (no spouses), and more knowledge about modern economics and technology (we grew up during the computer revolution). The fact is, its the uppity youngcomers who are the future and who have much more left in them than you. We will be taking care of you and protecting you, not the other way around, and frankly, considering the hard work I put in to my education, my career, and my country, I really could do without you bitter husks of human beings seeking to exercise your authority by patronizing me. Yes, I know what hard work is. No, my parents dont coddle me. No, I dont do drugs or make raps or pitter my life away on modern entertainment. I came here from India in a dirt poor family who built everything with hard work. I gave up sports because my parents couldnt find the time to support me. My father did beat me, and you can be sure no one called the cops. I had to beg school supplies from other students because my parents couldnt afford replacements and were too proud to ask the school for help. I worked a job all through highschool, and attended Westpoint on a partial scholarship, again, working for my education. And Im not the only one. My friends, while generally middle class, work just as hard as me and are equally smart. And say what you will about my fellow neighbors in the hood, they work just as hard, and are kind, honest, loving, assiduous Americans who send their children off to fight your wars. There might be some punks and lazy clowns in there, but please, give us the benefit of the doubt and remember that us youngsters also think that you geezers are lazy, bitter, and I quote, should, JUST DIE ALREADY.

I fully understand the disrespect that goes on. I was brought up very strictly – I wasn’t allowed to speak unless spoken to, no noise, never seen, respect your elders etc, so it annoys me when I see little kids swearing and attacking each other, with their parents sitting by and letting them do what they like. I may still be young and it annoys me how all adults assume all teenagers are evil, but I really cannot blame them. If this is the way elderly people are treated NOW, what are they going to be like in the future? When my generation are the “old fogies” as they disrespectfully call people at another stage of life, heaven help us. We’ll all be murdered in our beds and our possessions stolen. One thing that makes me even more angrier than this is when young people steal war medals and sell them for quick cash. Would they have the courage to fight in a war and put others before themselvs? Elderly people have had more in their lives than we have, so for God’s sake leave them in peace!

You try and call anyone disrespectful? If I’m not mistaken you’ve written around 40 pages of completely disrespectful rants based on your stupid generalization of about 30% of the population for no real reason. Being old doesn’t give you the right to be more respected that anyone else.

wow, I am 28 years old and am appalled at the responses from the younger gens. I think Dons blogs are pretty damn funny, and he does have truth in them, I wish things were more like the 50’s or 60’s even though I was born in the 80’s, it seems the further the generation, the more out of touch with each other we become. I was taught to respect your elders, that just comes with good clean southern baptist teachings from my Papa, and that doesn’t take a 16 year old or a 64 year old to figure out how to treat each other right, its just how you were raised.

Before you try to verbally abuse any specific age group over a lack of respect, please try and remember that:
Respect is not given;
It’s earned.
I’m truly sorry if one young person has annoyed you today, but do not brand all young people with the same demeaning tabloid stereotype. In writing your abusive “article” you have not only showcased that you are ignorant and rude, but also you have lowered yourself to the level of those you attack. Using old-fashioned insults is really no different to using modern-day slang- it is the intent behind the words that makes you the same as the “yobs” you pursue. Maybe in 1910 (or whatever era you grew up in) they beat children for making a mistake, but today Mrs Bodsworth would be arrested for tying a child to a chair and beating him/her. May I remind you that many things have changed, including attitudes towards children since you were young. Have you forgotten what youth feels like. So many times I have heard tales of the older generations: stealing apples from the farmer’s orchard, truanting off school to go fishing in the private pond. Perhaps I have called my neighbours by their Christian names before, but I’m sure that they’d rather I did that than become a thief or school truant. Times have changed, it’s you and 0.1% of young people with the problem- not the vast majority of my age group.
Today when I was walking home a man approached me and warned me to watch out for the golf balls that come near the footpath. I had no problem with that in particular, it was more the way in which he looked down on me and made me feel stupid and rude that I had a problem with. I’m 14- I have a lot to learn about the world, and so did you when you were my age.

So basically everyone thinks they are totally in the right. Here’s what it comes down to: the respectful thing to do is to call people Mr. or Mrs. (etc) regardless of your relationship to them. Only if they tell you to call them by another name, is it appropriate to do so. I am 19, was raised by a hippie mom and a geek dad…they taught me right. The problem with young people these days is that they think they are entitled, they think they are always right. There is no humility left in society. You know what, Donald Mills tells it like he sees it (and, honestly, how it should be). Young people need to get over themselves. Yes, you may live in a different time–that doesn’t give you a right to be so damn disrespectful to everyone. In fact, it makes yourselves look bad. Of course, not everyone is like this. In all seriousness, with time comes wisdom and experience and everyone will have different wisdom and different experiences. GIve people respect purely for the fact that they are true to their beliefs- if you want to look like an ignorant ass, go ahead. Keep writing you ‘crabbyoldfart’–genius.

It also seems that while apparently we have no respect for the older generation, you have no respect for us.
How can we respect those in an older generation when they refuse to show us the same? Being prejudice and discriminative against young people does not make us respect you. It makes us disrespect you because we accept how you are but you cannot do the same.
For example with piercings and tattoos, we respect those who don’t have them or like them and leave it at that, however people without them or don’t like them seem to think its okay to tell us not to have them.
The same way u tell us that we have no respect, well you have no respect for us. And if the older generation cannot respect our ways, why should we respect yours?

Traditionally in India we can not call anyone by name unless he/she is younger. An older person is addressed as Sir / madam or referred to as Mr…./Mrs….. if we are in professional surroundings.
At home / family surroundings, we address them as Uncle/Aunt or Indian language terms (these do not exist in western cultures) – “Older brother / Older sister”

Things are changing now, but majority still use the older methods of addressing seniors

My mother who is facing her 85th birthday agrees with you 75%. She crosses her Ts and dots her Is, and uses a comma and an apostrophe where necessary. The other 25% she thinks you should pick up Mr. Websters dictionary and really use real words and not bad language where children will see it. I read some of your work to her and she thinks you are very funny. She says Happy Mother’s Day!

it could be because the world isn’t perfect. All houses do not look the same and not everyones lawn gets cut on sunday. Personally most of the people and friends from my generation are at home with alcoholic parents in their 50’s having a midlife crisis. So we have to deal the the screaming, violence, and yelling. So in short fuck them you want respect you have to earn it. Treat people how you would like to be treating. You act like a know it all retired, over the hill, ranting, asswhole. Well im going to treat you as such you don’t deserve my respect if your 20 to 100 if you don’t act respectful in return.

Interesting, define respect from one country to an other. No, how about from neighbor to neighbor? There is no finite answer. Therefore what is desired can only be attained by a person or persons with the same exact law or general principle.

1. Respect where ? America, Asia, Europe, Africa? Unfortunately if I were to bow my head in a country other than where I live instead of kneeling on the ground I would be doomed!

So What knowledge is given to the younger generation is what they have to work with. Now weather they decide to use this info to the best of their knowledge or not is an entirely different ordeal.

2. Just like a ripe banana going into its last final strechs so is time and manners. So what I expect to see in my 100’s (if I can see). Are people with no trust, guns in every five year old’s hands and the desire for sex at ages below teenager.

3.This in fact just makes the ones lucky enough to use the knowledge given to them more valuable. Both in the work force and out in the world.

Personal OPINION- For me I think It is fun catching the wiser ones off guard when I bow my head in a showance of respect and wish them a good day or other greeting. The more smiles and utter astonishment s the merrier.

Haha , well me coming from a Hispanic/Arabic family disrespecting the elderly is the equivalent to suicide. If I even dared to say some of the things my friends say to their parents I would surely be backhanded by my mom, I hear them all the time saying things like “whatever“ and I have even witnessed a child telling his mom to shut up. Hell If I told my mom to shut up I would be in a comma. For us our greetings consist of wishing them a good day, and asking for their blessings. Hell even the way we talk to them (in Spanish and Arabic) radically changes because in these languages we refer to the elderly differently, the way we say “you“, to people of our age is “tu“ and to the elderly is “usted“ making a mistake between the two is dangerous. Very nice to hear the opinion of someone with a good head on their shoulders. I was watching Dc.Phil and I was amazed when a kid slapped his mom and the mom did nothing.

we, in India respect others even if they are 1 year older than us…our indian children call neighbours as uncle and aunty respectfully and never call even with their name…even in our languages like hindi,tamil etc…we have different words to mention ‘you’ as per younger and older people…but in english language it has only one word ‘you’ for both younger and older people…learn the lesson of respect from us…:-p sorry if I hurt anyone..